I've had some experiences with EAA CS, and while I wouldn't give them an "A," they were at least "B." I don't doubt the horror stories, but it IS possible to have at least a neutral experience with them.
I don't have any experience with the base models of Witness guns, but the Elite series - the Match and up - are like high-performance Italian sportscars. They can be a touch tempermental, but when you've got them running right, they are WONDERFUL shooters. Super accurate, great ergonomics, just a pleasure to shoot.